Experience in Managua, Nicaragua by Don

What is it like to live in Managua? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Managua is a large sprawling messy city with convoluted roads given its unorganized chaotic development. It does have a couple of large modern shopping malls and it is the principal city in Nicaragua for obtaining imported items if they are to be found in the country at all. It also houses on the outskirts near the airport the country's top private hospital built by their billionaire, Pellas (and has what is considered the top burn unit in Central America and is associated with US John Hopkins hospital). The devastating earthquake that hit the capital in the late nineties has left the Cathedral a ruin and little architecture of interest. An two hour bus tour will suffice. It is a dangerous city from the point of view of crime..the worst in the country, particularly in areas around bus stations and on public transport. A university friend of mine was robbed twice this semester..once a pickpocket and second at gunpoint wounding a compatriot who resisted. University accommodation should be sought in the so-called safer districts..like the diplomatic residence area where there are more armed guards but in quarters that are well protected behind walls with windows barred and razor wire. Going out to the clubs at night should only be in company of others for some degree of safety and by taxi or private vehicle not on foot.

What is the student lifestyle like in Managua?

Not a student so no comment. There are however many students given the university and the many private colleges.

How much does it cost to live in Managua?

More expensive than elsewhere in Nicaragua but still much cheaper than in the US, Europe or Canada. The local currency is tied to the US dollar so for Canadians and Europeans the country is that much more expensive now given the exchange rate. Student housing such as a room in a clean fairly modern house with private bathroom but with shared kitchen and living room runs around $150 a month. Transportation on public buses is cheap as is inter-city travel ($2 one way to Grenada for example). Food costs for a month run between $100-$150 for a modest diet. Beer is cheap compared to Europe or US/Canada (and good) at around $1-1.25 a bottle in a bar to .50 cents in the grocery store. A 750cc bottle of excellent local rum runs around $7...and is a popular drink among students.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Managua? Is there any advice you can give?

Takes some searching but plenty exists. However what local students may consider adequate or even good is far below the standards of Western developed country accommodation..for example, air conditioning is almost rare except in the homes of the wealthy as electricity costs are vert high in Nicaragua (and temperatures in Managua in the dry season..April/May reach 40 degrees and overnight at 30 degrees). Local houses and student accommodation typically has a tin roof with no insulation so it heats up like an oven during the day and retains heat into the night. Likewise showers in these local houses as well as toilets can be outside structures and norm is no such thing as hot water (too expensive and in any case a shower in lukewarm water is wonderful in a house where the temperature inside is over 40 degrees). The university has a notice board and it is useful to put a notice on arrival that you are searching for accommodation...often it is through "word of mouth" that one learns of availability.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

Food in local restaurants is typical Nicaraguan....that means fried rice and beans with all meals. Unfortunately modern dietary concepts have not reached the general public so that most of the food is fried in oil. Often french fries are served along with white rice. One has to be careful of salads where the lettuce and vegetables are not washed or else washed in tap water and the use of ice cubes (in smoothies for example) that are made with tap water. Knowledgeable locals and expats who do use local water take a routine parasite treatment every four to six months and it is common to have digestion problems. There are good well respected restaurants in Managua where for example only bottled water is used for ice and salads use dis-infected vegetables. Good pizza restaurants at reasonable prices like $7 a pizza abound and one can buy BBQ chicken or meat cooked over open fire from street vendors. There is a large Walmart and a Cosco where many imported items can be found but at a price. Not really any favorite Nicaraguan dish.

What places would you recommend visiting in Managua?

Take a bus tour of Managua and see the ruins of the former dictator's home, the President's residence and his own home where he actually lives, the ruins of the Cathedral and the polluted lakefront and the two large shopping malls. Watch out for the market..pick-pocketers are everywhere. Far better to go to nearby Massaya where there is a large clean tourist market which has almost every handicraft item available anywhere in the country as well as coffee and chocolate beans and tons of cheap clothing..much imported used American clothing.

A must is a trip to nearby Grenada, a lovely and reasonably safe colonial town on Lake Nicaragua where accommodation in a lovely colonial hotel with pool and ac can be found for $40 a night and hostel accommodation at $10 a night...and many good restaurants and bars. (40 km trip one hour by bus).

Likewise a trip to the only developed coastal resort, San Jaun del Sur, which is about 90km away on the pacific coast 25km from the border with Costa Rica. This is a highly popular town for expatriate young people especially in the period Nov to end of Jan. It has a beautiful beach and a string of restaurants and bars along the beachfront ..many other restaurants and hostels where accommodation can be had for as low as $10 a night. Here the bars and discos are packed with young gringos...(always surprised at the number of twenty year old females) and expats. Taxi takes about 90 minutes but costs $90-120; city bus to Rivas is $1.50 and then 30 minute bus ride from there to SJdelS is $1.00 but count on at least two hours and usually three hour bus trip in a safe but former US yellow school bus..great way to see locals and the country. If four or five people share a taxi then of course, the cost comes down and in the 30 plus degree heat a taxi with ac is great.

For the more adventurous a must is to travel to Rivas and then to the Pacific coast North of Rivas to the famous Popoyo beach for the professional surfers or the two associated beaches, like Jiquelite or Gigante where learners and mid-level surfers can find waves of up to two meters and a magnificent beach. Nearby surf camps and hostals run $10-15 a night and there are many young people under 35 during the high season. (A number of good local restaurants such as Villa Jiquelite, or the nearby Italian restaurant, as well as Buena Aula Swiss-owned hotel and the incredible view at the MagnificRock hotel perched high on the cliff between Popoyo Beach and Jiquelite/Santanna beach...and almost exlusively filled with surfers.

A visit to Leon is worth the trip as there are two universities and so many night spots filled with expat students. It is also fairly safe.

Travel to see one of the volcanoes for sure and a trip to the highlands in the North..the Sonoto Canyon is well worth a trip..take the guide and walk and paddle your way for two hours through a canyon that in some places is only 20 meters wide but 100 meters deep.

Leon in the North (about 120km from Managua)

Is it good to eat out in Managua? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

Never eaten out except at hotels prior to departing or after arrival as Managua is a city I prefer to escape from as soon as possible without being forced to an ATM at gunpoint.

Is the nightlife good in Managua? Where is good to go?

Managua has the most nightlife of any place in Nicaragua but not concentrated in any one place. It has everything from student type discos to full-scale and pricey night clubs and with it the prostitutes. It is the only place in Nicaragua with a couple of gay bars. I have never visited any night spots in Managua so have no personal experience to relate. (as compared to Grenada, San Jaun del Sur or Leon, where I have been to discos and bars).

What advice would you give future students heading to Managua?

Always be on guard..you are a foreigner and even as a student you have more disposable income than the average Nicaraguan existing on a max of $2 a day (and this is generous). It is a very poor country (poorest after only Haiti) so as a foreigner you are a constant target. In Managua thieves abound since this is the best place for opportunities to steal. Pickpocketers are expert but so are those who pull a knife or a gun especially at night. Of particular care is at the various bus terminals. Always take a numbered taxi...one where the plate number is also on the car and record the number..even take a photo..yes a shared taxi is cheaper but especially for females watch out for the taxi driver who offers a ride with a female in the front seat..once you get in suddenly two guys arrive and jump in on either side of you and next you are taken to an ATM.

ADVICE: carry a purse or wallet with fake cards in it and useless currency..(for Canadians use Canadian tire store money) or a most a few local small bills which you can surrender to a thief or can be pick-pocketed. Hide your real cards and money..I even put my cards on occasion in my socks in my shoes and money as well..or in your underwear. Be prepared to turn over that wallet immediately and then get away. The thieves won't be happy when the ATM refuses your card but ..your a "poor" student. Always carry a copy of your ID document like your passport...leave your passport hidden at your home..like under the mattress or in the fridge.